Out of Your Arms
by Lovely Narcissist James Blanke
Summary: Lightning is getting married to a man she really got to know after saving Cocoon. Is that really what she wants? *Warning: this turns into Light/Fang*
1. The Plane Away from You

A/N: The story is based off of an experience I had a couple years ago, but it's way different; for one, I wasn't the one on the plane and for another she didn't even miss me. ): But I'm here to write fanfic, not to mope about the woman who had me crying for weeks…yeah… Back to being funny… tee-hee…

Warnings: OOC-ness, AU, shoujo-ai and angst.

Pairings: Fang/Light and Yaag/Light.

Setting: Because this is AU, I can say that Cocoon was saved before it had the chance to fall. Don't like it? Well that's too bad, it's my story.

* * *

Out of Your Arms, Chapter One: The Plane Away from You

My room is now a barren wasteland with white walls and soft, plush, off-white carpeting. Everything except for the bamboo curtains leading to the balcony, the bed and the bedside table with the lamp which there is no use taking.

I double check the closet with sliding doors for the umpteenth time today. I know damn well that there's nothing left in it.

I can feel Fang's presence; she's been standing there, in the doorway for a good five minutes now, probably waiting for me to turn around, which I refuse to do. This is already hard enough. I will say goodbye to her a the airport, but it's not like I'm never going to see her again.

I love all of my friends here, but I'm leaving my home of Bodhum. I'm getting married.

I've been telling myself I'm in love for months. It'll be much easier that way, it's not like anyone else would settle down with me. It's also for good cause; once I'm married to Yaag it means that PSICOM and Guardian Corps will be united. It's supposed to be symbolic and inspiring.

It's not so much that I'm being forced into this; I did agree. It just so happened that I'm the new director of GC and Yaag is the PSICOM director. It's not like he proposed just because of that.

Yaag has learned to loosen up a bit more, at least the way I do, in private. He's more open about how he feels about everything and even smiles. I'm sure that it wasn't just because of me; he almost died and that does tend to put things into perspective.

I start to fidget because of my thoughts.

Fang finally breaks the silence, but I still don't turn around. She's moved since the doorframe and I can now feel her only inches behind my back. I'm going to miss living with her and Vanille. Hope chose to come with me.

I realize what Fang said after a moment. _Is this really what you want?_

_Is it? _I guess. I can be happy with Yaag. _Aren't you happy now? _Of course I am. _Then why are you leaving it behind?_

I ignore the confrontational voice in my head. It's not helping me.

"It is," I finally answer, voice giving nothing away.

"Are you sure? Look, I'm not trying to talk you out of it, if it's what you really want to do…but if it's not what you want to do, then please don't do it… You'll regret it… That's not saying you have to stay here; you could go anywhere you want," Fang says, calmly. Part of me wants her to react a lot more; to beg me not to leave, or to knock some sense into me, the way she would have last year, when we saved the world.

"I'll be happy there; don't worry. Besides, I don't think it's me you should worry about. Hope's the one changing schools," I said, finally turning around with a faux smirk on my face. I know she can't see through it. Is that really a good thing?

"The kid's got you; if you're fine, so is he," she explains, laughingly.

It was true; Hope could get through a lot of things just by my being around. I've become somewhat of a surrogate mother since both his parents have passed away. Its always interesting to see someone's reaction to my 'son' and I, since I'm now only twenty-two and he's nearly fifteen.

Fang pushes something into my arms, something bright and colorful that seems more like something Vanille would have.

"Vanille made one for each of us…" she started, looking more at the wall than at me.

Upon closer inspection, I realize it's a scrap book. It's just like Vanille to do something like this. I'm so emotional that I want to cry for two very diverse reasons; I'm so happy that she would do this for all of us and I'm sad I won't be here with her. I'm really going to miss my housemates.

I give it a couple minutes of looking at, a slight smile at the reminiscence of me with my friends.

I look at the pocket watch Fang gave me to celebrate my birthday; an hour and a half until Hope and I need to board the airplane. It should take us around twenty minutes to get there and give or take forty through security, even though I'd adjusted my outfit to have no metal today. We got our tickets in advance nearly a week ago, so no consideration there. If we leave now, we can insure our much needed punctuality.

"We should get going," I tell her, placing the scrapbook carefully into my carry on. "Hope, Vanille!" I call out, loud enough to be heard, but not quite a yell. "You guys ready?" I ask, as they step through the door frame. They nod in near perfect unison.

The ride itself takes a little less time, but I'm glad we left earlier anyway, as the airport is bustling with people. I all but force Hope to hold my hand; I'd prefer he not get lost. Maybe I'm over protective, but this is my first time with the whole parenting thing, and it's not like I got to start at the beginning.

Fang helps me put our four bags into the security rack and the PSICOM soldier, who I showed my badge when we first got to this floor, waits for my weapons case with more patience than I've seen from their division I a long time. They've either been with PSICOM for a very long time or are extremely new to it.

I watch Vanille and Hope share a slightly saddened farewell and I know Fang and I should wait until they're done before we all say goodbye. Hope and Vanille will probably talk everyday after the move, even though we'll be coming back pretty often.

They step apart after a slightly awkward hug and Fang and I step in before all of us start getting emotional. I lean down a little so I can hug Vanille without having my breasts in her face. "Thanks for the scrapbook, Vanille. I'm gonna miss living with you guys," I say, so Fang can hear, too.

Fang has Hope in a playful chokehold and tousles his hair after letting him back up. The slightly taller woman places an arm around me in a more serious way. "Be safe, ya hear?" she says softly. She releases me and I kind of want to cry, but I have to set an example for Hope, not to mention save my dignity. So I smile softly and nod, motioning for Hope to follow me through the metal detector.

I don't look back.

* * *

Hope and I are now safely on the plane and he tries teaching me how to play the newest installment of Entity I got him for his birthday a while ago. I'm not so old that I can't appreciate a good game when I see one.

I run around as the demonic female detective, fighting things and looking for clues. When I'm finally good enough at it that I feel confident enough that I shouldn't have to heal every three battles, I tell Hope I'm tired and he makes a save file just for me, affectionately naming it 'Light's File.'

He puts the game away, starting to feel the effects of drowsiness himself.

* * *

_Fang looks up at me, seeming almost startled to see me. Everything's dark and blood is pouring from her body. I quickly rush by her side, not knowing what to do; I've been trained to make such injuries, not fix them._

_I try a rudimentary set of cures, but between my panic-stricken, disaccorded mind and lack of coherency of the situation, none of them have an effect on her crumpled body._

_She mutters incoherent nonsense as I keep trying to heal her._

_I watch the last bit of her life fade from her body, I can't help screaming her name._

* * *

Waking from the horrible images in my head, I find myself with Hope and Yaag on either side of the unfamiliar bed on which my body rests.

"Where am I?" I ask, voice even sounding lost.

"My house," Yaag answers quietly, seeming careful as if his voice alone could break me.

I look over to Hope, who holds my left hand firmly, yet gently in both of his own. He seems to read the question in my eyes before I can even make it audible to him.

"You had a panic attack on the plane and they had us sent to Saint Aaron hospital when we arrived. They checked you and just said you were over-stressed and you'd be fine, so Yaag brought us here, to his house," Hope whispers, rushing a little, also holding the tone that I'm so fragile I could shatter at his sotto voce.

I'm not sure what to say, so I'm pleased hearing Yaag's voice penetrating the silence. "Do you want me to enroll Hope tomorrow alone, so you can rest?"

"No, I can make it," I respond reassuringly. He rewards My endurance with a smile.

Hope stays in the room with me, an agreement between the two caring for me. The night goes, for the most part, without incident. In fact, besides the insomnia and paranoia that follows me while sleeping in a foreign place, it was perfectly fine.

No bad dreams of Fang, only ones to soothe the previous.

* * *

A/N: A fresh chapter of a fresh story. I enjoyed writing this, and hope to continue writing the chapters that follow. I also hope you enjoy reading them, if you continue to. Thank you for stumbling across this, or if you've been following my account, thank you for your support ^_^

I hate to be so sentimental suddenly, but I counted up you guys' views on all of my stories, and I was so grateful.

This story may or may not be updated before Spring Break, but definitely will be during.


	2. Going Away Pains

A/N: Well, the story goes on. Nothing important to put here.

Summary: Light's not feeling too good. I guess Hope isn't, either.

Warnings: Not yet, but you should know that Fang/Light is coming, eventually. In this chapter…no explicit interactions, but a little kissing. That's it.

Disclaimer: Square Enix is not mine. Final Fantasy is not mine. Happy?

* * *

Because of my divorced schedule, I end up waking late to a note with Yaag's handwriting.

_We didn't want to wake you. Enrolling Hope, be back soon. Breakfast on the counter._

_~Yaag_

I smile at his note then head to the kitchen; I haven't eaten for nearly two days, which is unhealthy for my line of work. I then change my mind; I'm somehow not hungry. I decide to eat later, stumbling back to the guest room.

Half of me falls onto the bed heavily with a stomach pain I know isn't from hunger. No later than the whimper of pain leaves my mouth does Yaag open the front door.

"Claire?" he calls out, concerned, the door closing lightly behind him. I hear it lock automatically.

"I'm okay," I respond, a little strained.

He hurries into the room with me, swiftly at my side, helping me to lie on the bed properly. Noticing almost immediately the way I held my stomach, he placed a hand at the hem of my shirt, looking to my face for confirmation.

It's very… Yaag-like.

I nod to him, who else would I trust, except perhaps Fang?

Fang or Vanille, I correct myself. They're female friends who I trust. There is no other man I'd trust besides Yaag Rosch, my fiance.

Finding nothing externally wrong, he settles for running his hand in a spiraling motion along my rather muscled and unfeminine stomach in a soothing pattern. It makes me feel a little better.

"You want to go back to the hospital, make sure they didn't miss anything?" he asks in the same manner as when I awoke here yesterday.

"I'll be okay," I smile soothingly, so convincingly I almost trick myself into feeling better. Almost.

I try to ignore it, guiding Yaag onto the bed to lay beside me. I press my lips gently to his, I pull away to watch his face light into a magnificent pink. It makes me feel a little better, it's always fun for me to see his slightly extreme reactions to the simplest forms of affection.

I pull the band from his hair, setting it by the lamp on the bedside table and watching it fall lax around his skull. Crawling so I'm on top of him, I take a moment to inform him of just how attractive he looks and how he should leave it as such more often before continuing the kiss from moments ago with more fervor than the previous time, but still slow. Hearing him sigh into the kiss, I waste little time slipping into his mouth. Some say that there can be a battle for dominance, but this was more of a dance.

Something seems to snap in his mind, his eyes breaking from their half lidded state as he pushes lightly on my shoulders. I rise with them with ease, getting the message, but settle for looking into icy, amethyst-blue eyes and patiently await an answer that I may or may not understand, but will respect anyway.

He sighs as he sits up with me, this time in slight self-conflict. "I just…I feel like maybe we shouldn't, yet… I'm aware that most people don't keep to the tradition of waiting at this time, but I just feel like it's something that we should do… We've lasted this long; what's another few months until we're married, right?" he said rather sheepishly.

I smile. I nod agreement and lie down to my previous position beside him. "You're right," I tell him. "We're supposed to have more self control than most, anyway," I reason, more to myself than him.

We pull each other into a half hug, this time lying side by side. He's warm, as usual. Or maybe I'm just cold. Either way, it's normal.

"When do we have to get Hope?"

"He said he wanted to take the train home today; wanted to get used to things here. I have to say, he's got a lot of initiative. I'm sure it's all thanks to you," he smiles.

I ponder this for a moment. "I think…I think he just wants to make his mother proud… Nora…I'm sure she was a great woman; if Hope is doing good, I'm sure it's more her doing than mine," I say, a vague smile on my face. I'd have loved to have met her.

"Well, I'm sure you're partially right; but he wouldn't have gotten this far without you. I'm sure he wants to make you proud just as much as he does her," he counters.

I agree with this theory and show it with a mere nod.

* * *

When I wake again, Yaag isn't by my side, but he's left the evidence of tucking me in.

I hear a faint sob coming from the den and I know it's Hope. I get up as quickly as I'm capable and rush to see what's wrong. It's 2:30 and school here doesn't get out until 6; something must have happened.

When I reach the den, I see Yaag in the position of a mother. A head on his lap as he traces the stomach of the child, another hand beneath Hope's neck.

He looks up to see me and gingerly takes the hand from Hope's stomach, putting a finger to his lips in a gesture that I should be quiet, but beckoned me in as well.

It seemed that he'd gotten Hope to sleep. I'd have to ask him later about what happened.

Hope must have really liked Yaag; I don't think he'd have let anyone except for me do something like that otherwise.

* * *

A/N: Yaag would so do this and you know it xD Seriously though, if you pay attention to his character, a lot of the things he does is more because he feels trapped and doesn't know what else to do. Kinda makes you feel bad… T~T

Anyway, you can leave me a review to tell me what you thought in the conveniently placed box below this fanfic, and thanks for the reviews and follows, guys (: What, you think I don't notice? (They make my stories and I feel special xD)

James Blanke: out.


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